The Revolver Golden Gods Awards will air on VH1 later this month (or something… I know we got a press release but I was too lazy to read it), and it will be interesting to see that, because I was there, but I didn’t actually see very much of the show. I saw the schmuck from Asking Alexandria drop his mic two seconds into “Youth Gone Wild,” and I saw some of Avenged Sevenfold’s performances with Duff McKagan and Vinnie Paul, and I saw enough of Chris Jericho performing “For Whom the Bell Tolls” to consider throwing myself over the balcony and ending the awards in spectacular fashion (sometimes, sacrifices must be made for the greater good). But by and large I was too busy snorting coke in the bathroom with a girl who fucking swore to me that it wasn’t a herpes sore that lying bitch! to be bothered.

So one thing I had absolutely no idea even transpired was the below montage paying tribute to the five guys who died in the past year that are relevant to the readers of Revolver, which is to say, not Phil Vane or Frankie Sparcello.

But I shouldn’t be a jerk about it, it’s really a very touching video.

-AR

[via Metal Underground]

Remember the adorable video for Pantera’s “Cowbells Is My Name,” where they had those kids pretending to be the band? Well, “So Far Away,” the new video from Avenged Sevenfold (featuring the twenty-third best modern metal guitarist, Synyster Gates) is kinda like that, except it takes itself way, way, way seriously.

It also does not adhere to the rules of logic. Let’s see if we can try to figure this out:

• There are five kids, who presumably grow-up to be Avenged Sevenfold.
• In their garage while they rehearse, there are only four kids, apparently because M. Shadows wasn’t jamming with his friends at that point, or was excused from rehearsals since he’s the singer, or whatever.
• At both the :22 second mark and the 2:06 mark, four of the kids dissolve into the band today, including the kid who is clearly supposed to be The Rev. So, in other words, according to the world of this video, Kid The Rev  morphed into another band member prior to Adult The Rev passing away. Either that, or another member of the band used to play drums and then switched instruments, although that’s really not clear from this clip.
• Then, when the band is playing the song in the present in their rehearsal space or whatever the hell that room is supposed to be, there is no one playing drums, despite the fact that the song features drums. This is either meant to be a tribute to The Rev, or a message to current drummer Arin Ilejay that he’s not yet worthy of being in an Avenged Sevenfold music video.

I get that the band is trying to honor their fallen brother, but, really, this is just silly. And there was an easier-than-easy fix, too, which would have been to just have five kids, and when they dissolve into their adult versions, remove one of them. That would have made sense, and it would have added an extra sense of melancholy to the proceedings. But I guess that would have taken too much thought on director Wayne Isham’s part.

Good song, though.

Well, here’s an anticlimactic conclusion to a dramatic story.

Avenged Sevenfold have announced that Arin Ilejay, formerly of the Christian band Confide, will be taking Mike Portnoy’s spot behind the drum kit for their upcoming tour dates. The announcement does not say that Ilejay is a permanent member of the band, but I’d imagine if he kicks ass on the tour, they’ll scoop him up. I mean, they have to give SOMEONE the gig eventually, right?

Honestly, I’d never heard of Confide until just now, but I’m not encouraged by this music video:

So that sucks.

Ilejay was apparently recommended by A7X’s drum tech, Mike “The Sack” Fasano, who has previously hit the skins for such illustrious acts as, uh, Warrant. Which almost makes me wonder why they didn’t just hire him, but whatevs. They probably felt like since they lost a Reverend they needed a Christian, and, voila, Ileljay got the job. Yeah, that’s a completely logical explanation, right?

Anyways, I guess we’ll see how this pans out…

-AR

Avenged Sevenfold’s Nightmare is out today (read Vince’s interview with A7X’s Johnny Christ here), and I’ve only listened to it twice so I reserve the right to completely rescind everything I’m about to type. But my initial impressions are that it’s a really good record, maybe the best pop metal album of the year so far, and that it’s not quite as good as the band’s last, self-titled album. I don’t think the band have pushed themselves quite as hard as they did last time out, when they suddenly revealed aspirations of being Queen. Even the really epic songs, like “Save Me” and “Victim,” don’t quite have the WHOA! factor of tracks like “A Little Piece of Heaven” or “Unbound” — songs that no one could have predicted after Waking the Fallen and City of Evil. Yeah, “Natural Born Killer” and “Tonight the World Dies” are excellent songs, but they’re songs that will surprise exactly no one who heard Avenged Sevenfold. (The one exception might be “Fiction,” which is a straight-up piano ballad.)

But don’t get your panties in a twist if you’re an A7X fan. I still think it’s a really good album.

Now the band has made their Rev-less live debut with Mike Portnoy on drums, and… yep, it stills sounds like Avenged Sevenfold. But for some of us, bootleg vids like this one (of the new song “Welcome to the Family”) will be our only chance to see Portneged Sevenoy so… enjoy!

Check out more clips of our favorite Jewish drummer from Long Island playing with our favorite glam Republicans from Orange County over at The PRP.

-AR

With the passing of James “The Rev” Sullivan, it hasn’t been an easy year for the members of Avenged Sevenfold. But with their new album Nightmare coming out tomorrow and the band out on tour once again — with fill-in drummer Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater — things are starting to look up for the OC crew. In my quick chat with A7X bassist Johnny Christ last week, the youngest and newest member of Avenged Sevenfold spoke about The Rev’s passing, the late drummer’s role in writing the record, and working with Portnoy and producer Mike Elizondo. Our chat after the jump.

Click to read more…

So Metal Insider tells me.

That’s not a huge shock; A7X, like many bands before them, love to party, and have made those habits a part of their very image. In this case, MI tells me, The Rev was taking “Codeine, Morphine, anxiety medications and alcohol,” which, y’know. Is a LOT of shit to be taking all at once. You do kinda wonder how someone takes all of that crap and doesn’t stop to think “This is probably a bad idea.”

It’s a sad story, but it’s one we’ve heard before and is one we will no doubt hear again (possibly very soon). We can ask ourselves “When are young rock stars gonna learn?”, but we all know the answer: “Never.” They are never going to learn. Sad but true.

Chew it over and share your thoughts in the comments section below.

-AR

In case you’re just joining us, here’s the story thus far: The Rev died, Avenged Sevenfold announced that Mike Portnoy would be playing drums on their new album, and I wondered aloud, “Who will be the new permanent drummer for A7X?” Well, looks like the band can put off answering that last question for awhile, and Portnoy will now tour with M. Shadows and company “through the end of 2010.”

Click to read more…

So Avenged Sevenfold are going to be playing one single stop of this Summer’s Mayhem Fest, on July 27 in Mansfield, MA. That strikes me as a pretty random location for A7X to show-up; they’re from the O.C. (Can I say “the O.C.” without sounding like a tool? As it turns out, no.), so it’s not like they just have to hop in the car and drive to the show.

But that’s neither here nor there; what I find really interesting about this announcement is that it means that sometime between now and July 27, A7X are going to have to hire a new drummer to replace The Rev, who, in case you haven’t heard, is no longer in the music business. Unless one or more of the drummers from the other bands on the tour are going to fill-in (not an unthinkable occurrence), or Mike Portnoy, who plays drums on the band’s new album, is doing the date (highly unlikely), or they’re planning to go all Genghis Tron on us (even less likely).

Hopefully the band will make some kind of announcement soon. Because while I know that three months seems like plenty of time to find a new drummer, you have to keep in mind that not only does said new drummer need to learn the set list, but he needs to go to the mall, get some ridiculous clothes, be re-christened with a silly nick name, etc., etc. You think they came up with “Zacky Vengeance” and “Synyster Gates” overnight? These things take time, man!

-AR

This is yet another story I probably don’t have to write, given that the sheer number of reader e-mails I’ve received about it suggest that you all know already. But in case you somehow haven’t heard, the headline says it all: Dream Theater’s Mike Portnoy will play drums on the new Avenged Sevenfold album, filling in for recently deceased drummer James Owen “The Rev” Sullivan.

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I guess that by now it’s old news that the drummer from AX7 is taking the celestial dirt nap for undisclosed “natural causes,” but I just realized that something is bugging me about this whole situation.

First of all, let’s establish something. I am NOT a fan of AX7. Never was, most likely never will be. I think that they’re killer musicians, especially their lead guitarist with the silly stage name, but that doesn’t make me a fan.

I’m not going to specualte as to why a 28 year old suddenly died because I know full well it was probably drugs, but I also know full well that not everyone actually lives out their image in real life. He could have had an un-diagnosed heart condition, or any other number of things that suddenly kill people of any age. So I’m not going to really sit around and guess what did him in, and honestly, I don’t really care.

Here’s what I do care about for some reason: the metal community once again showed me that with some exception, it’s just a lonely, dorky, socially inadequate boy’s club. I know that I’m going to get some hate for this, but whatever. Hear me out.

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As you may have heard by now, Avenged Sevenfold drummer James Owen “The Rev” Sullivan was found dead in his home. He was only twenty-eight years old. They’re saying he passed from natural causes, although even the sunniest optimist amongst us would probably have a hard time believing that’s the case.

An official statement from the band reads -

It is with great sadness and heavy hearts that we tell you of the passing today of Jimmy “The Rev” Sullivan. Jimmy was not only one of the world’s best drummers, but more importantly he was our best friend and brother. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Jimmy’s family and we hope that you will respect their privacy during this difficult time.

Jimmy you are forever in our hearts. We love you.

M Shadows, Synyster Gates, Zacky Vengeance and Johnny Christ

A7X are a band that has repeatedly divided the metal community, be it due to their transition from metalcore misfits to cock rock revivalists, or just the general theatrically of their act. But Sullivan was a talented dude, and this is some shitty news to end the year.